Rodrigue Beaubois Needs to Shine for Dallas Mavericks

Rodrigue Beaubois has been the ultimate tease for the Dallas Mavericks the past three seasons. Every time he shows flashes of being the type of player who is a matchup nightmare for opposing guards like he did Thursday night against the Utah Jazz, it seems he is relegated to the end of the Mavericks' bench for dribbling too much or getting lost on defense.

He had a 40-point game against the Golden State Warriors as a rookie. He's the only member of the 40-50-80 club (field-goal percentage, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage) as a rookie and makes opposing guards look silly with his leaping ability while blocking shots.

The vision for Beaubois from the start was to become a bigger, faster, better shooting and defending version of J.J. Barea. Allowing Barea to join the Minnesota Timberwolves without making any kind of aggressive offer cleared the way for Roddy to have a defined role.

But for some reason, his progress seems to continue to be impeded by a lack of understanding of offensive and defensive principles, or as some see it, getting "too cute" during games. 

Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry are visibly upset with Beaubois from time to time, whether he is not making the correct pass or acting too timid because he doesn't want to make a mistake. 

Mike Fisher, of DallasBasketball.com and a game-day analyst for Fox Sports Southwest, and his staff have a great slogan that the Mavericks need to employ for the remainder of the season: Free Roddy B.

Let's face it, Jason Kidd isn't getting any younger. His physical skills haven't quite caught up to his basketball IQ this season, and if you have watched the Mavericks in last four games, Kidd's turnovers aren't ones that you would expect from the second-leading assist man in NBA history.

I expect Rick Carlisle will follow his thought pattern with Nowitzki at some point soon and allow Kidd to rest for a week or two. Most likely that would be right around the All-Star break. 

That's where Roddy B comes in. With veterans Nowitzki and Kidd struggling, the Mavericks need someone other than Terry to provide a spark off the bench. And frankly, no one on the roster provides the kind of quickness and lateral burst of the 23-year-old Frenchman.

Even with Kidd playing extended minutes every night currently, if Carlisle feels he can trust Beaubois to handle the ball and play his game, it decreases the need for Kidd to play any more than 20-25 minutes a night. Everybody wins, especially the team.

He's only a third-year player. His room for improvement is certainly there, but given the fact he is the most unique player on the team, it's time to allow the Mavericks to take the chains off and let the guy just go play ball.

I could say the same thing about Dominique Jones, but that's a story for another day.

The fact remains, Dallas needs Beaubois to perform at a high level. As Carlisle said on ESPN Dallas' flagship station, 103.3 FM, "What we need is Roddy the competitor..."

With Nowitzki sidelined and three tough opponents to come before his return, pay attention to Beaubois and how his play impacts the Mavericks' next few outcomes.